Well, it’s a start. On the eve of early voting, which starts Friday and continues through Saturday, October 3t, the three gents pictured above have won one of the first actual votes of the 2015 election season — though it’s not (or not yet) the one they’re actually seeking.

Still, the smiles sported by these three winners of the Shelby County Democratic Party straw poll, held Wednesday night at the Spaghetti Warehouse, suggest they’re enjoying this brief taste of the proverbial Thrill of Victory. Pictured are (l to r): Charley Burch, Super District 9, Position 1; Paul Shaffer, Super District 9, Position 2, and Zachary Ferguson, Super District 9, Position 3.

As the sponsoring Democratic Party noted, of course, in announcing the straw vote winners in various races, the polling process was highly unofficial. As the sponsors put it, candidly enough: “This is not a scientific poll and should not be interpreted as an endorsement by the Shelby County Democratic Party. Guests were allowed to purchase a ballot for $10 and vote their preferences in the upcoming municipal election.”

The full list of Straw Poll winners:
Memphis Mayor  :          AC Wharton
City Court Clerk:     Wanda Halbert
City Council District 2:     Rachel Knox
City Council District 3:     Patrice Robinson
City Council District 4:     Kirstin Cheers
City Council District 5:     Mary Wilder
City Council District 6 :     Edmund Ford, Jr.
City Council District 7 :     Thurston Smith
City Council District 8, Position 1:     Joe Brown
City Council District 8, Position 2:     Mickell Lowery
City Council District 9, Position 1 :     Charley Burch
City Council District 9, Position 2 :     Paul Shaffer
City Council District 9, Position 3 :     Zachary Ferguson